Invasive Plants

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Invasive plants are non-native plants that were introduced to our environment through seeds, cuttings, garden plants, etc. They spread aggressively and take over the natural environment. They out-compete native plants, including endangered species, and destroy habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife. They can also cause erosion and silt problems in creeks and impact aquatic creatures. Invasive plants are expensive to control and eradicate. Some, like Giant Hogweed, are even dangerous to human health. Quite simply, they are Bad Seeds.

Review Coquitlam's Invasive Plant Management Strategy, the Invasive Species Council of BC website and Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for more information.

Bad Seed - Invasive Plants Brochure: English | Arabic | Chinese | Farsi | Korean

Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species!

Never dump garden waste, hanging baskets or anything else into natural areas.
Dispose of invasive plant material in your Green Cart instead of your backyard compost (see below for hogweed disposal requirements).
Avoid buying plants promoted as fast spreaders or vigorous self-seeders as they are often invasive.
Contain or remove invasive plants on your property to prevent them from spreading to other properties.
Use caution when ordering plant seeds over the Internet or through catalogues. Introducing foreign seeds are a key way that invasive plants find their way into our community.
Read Grow Green Guide Home and the Native Plant Society of British Columbia to learn about BC's most "unwanted" plants, along with recommended alternatives.

Common Invasive Plant Species

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English Ivy
Hedera helix

Commonly sold as an easy and fast grower that can tolerate shade, ivy smothers vegetation and can eventually kill trees. Identified by dull, green, lobed leaves with a thick, waxy coating that stay green all year long. It grows as a small to large woody vine that clings to surfaces such as trees, buildings and rocks.
- Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for English and Irish Ivies
Yellow Lamium (Yellow Archangel)
Lamiastrum galeobdolon

Commonly sold in hanging baskets, lamium is a ground cover that smothers native plants. It stays green year-round with hairy green and white leaves. Small yellow flowers will appear in the spring and summer.
- Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for Yellow Archangel
Periwinkle

Vinca minor

Sold as a fast grower this trailing groundcover with small waxy leaves smothers native plants. It has showy purple flowers with five petals and its leaves are pointed and dark green.
Morning Glory

Convolvulus arvensis

Sometimes found in wild seed mixes, this very persistent climbing vine will trail along the ground, smother native plants and twist counter-clockwise up supports. The leaves are arrow-shaped with a sharp point and has showy, white trumpet-shaped flowers. The above ground part of this plant dies off in the winter.
Japanese Knotweed
Fallopia japonica

Forms dense, tall thickets and can grow up to 3.5 metres tall from a small root or stem, crowding out other plants. Leaves are spade shaped and small white flowers are produced in clusters.
- Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for Knotweed
Giant Hogweed
Heracleum mantegazzianum

Giant Hogweed poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. The clear sap found in its stem and hairs can result in severe burns and blistering. If sap enters the eyes, it can cause temporary or permanent blindness.

Description
- Very tall, reaching up to 5 metres.
- White flower heads reach up to 1.5 metres in diameter, bloom in mid August.
- Leaves are shiny and large with coarse, jagged edges.
- Stalks have purple spots or streaks and stiff bristly hairs.
- Typically grows on riverbanks, ravines, vacant lots or along roads.
- Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for Giant Hogweed

Removal and Disposal of Hogweed

If you find Giant Hogweed on your property, it needs to be removed as per the City's Noxious Weed Bylaw No. 4181, 2010.

CAUTION - If you are exposed to Giant Hogweed, wash the affected area immediately, keep it out of the sun and seek medical advice.

It is best to let a professional remove this plant.
For more information, visit Work Safe BC’s safety bulletin and video and Metro Vancouver Best Management Practices for Giant Hogweed.

Report Giant Hogweed Sightings in Coquitlam

Please report Giant Hogweed in Coquitlam, by using the Online Hogweed Reporting Form or by contacting Parks Customer Service - see contact details below.

Volunteering Opportunities

Are you interested in becoming a Bad Seed volunteer?

If you have a group interested in organizing an invasive plant pull with the City of Coquitlam, please contact the Parks Resource Technician. If you are an individual looking to join a scheduled invasive plant pull, register with Better Impact and watch for upcoming Bad Seed events.

For more volunteer opportunities, contact local community groups: Burke Mountain Naturalists, Friends of Deboville Slough, Hoy-Scott Watershed Society and the Maple Creek Watershed Streamkeepers Society.